spinecor

[Mom37]

[QUOTE=cloggerx3][COLOR=Magenta]WHOAAAA>

well i went to my doctor today for my 6month check up and........ my curves are now 14 and 17-out of brace-. and i grew an inch! i was like so happy. but... my risser sign is still 0. which like makes me wanna cry. but yeah.

okay so this whole washing the brace situation.
i know im only 14 (15 in 8days ) but this is what i do and my brace is fine.

so i wash the straps and bolera every 7-10 days in a lingerie bag in the washing machine and dry it in the dryer with a towel (so it dries faster)(on low heat). the reason for washing them every 7-10 days is so the elastic repairs itself so it is always tight and working. so like always wash it.. otherwise it wont work properly because it wont be pulling on your spine.
i wash my thigh and crotch straps separately, by hand and dry with a hair dryer.-without the thing with the plastic and snaps on it)* . my bottom piece is marvelous... because i dont wash it. the only thing not really holding up are the thigh bands. which is- i think- because im so active and always in motion so they are rubbing against each other. which is really annoying because they look like crap. and i like my brace to look pretty .

so in conclusion. i suggest this:
-wash thigh and crotch straps separately by hand and dry w/ hair dryer
- wash top part without bleach 7-10 days in a lingerie bag in the washing machine and dryer.
-DONT WASH THE WHOLE BOTTOM PIECE! just the thigh and crotch things- which means you have to take them OFF.
so yes.
cloggerx3

Glad to hear you are doing well. What was your original curve to now?

[Mom37]

My daughter had her check-up on Thursday with Dr. Gorrie and Andrew Mills. Andrew was there to train Dr.Gorrie as he is now doing Spinecor in his Tustin office. Very nice not to have to drive 2-3 hours! Anways, my husband & I were quite impressed with Mr. Mills and his calm, very educated approach to reading the x-rays, the brace, etc. He told us some things we did not know such as that she has a true double curve that is very well balanced - both in the mid to upper 40's. Because she has no pain and her posture is very good he said that he would not recommend chasing down a surgeon at this point. He said if we saw orthopedic surgeons here in the US they would be more likely recommend surgey for a curve her size than doctors in England and Europe. But because of the double curve any fusion would be really long and very limiting movement wise.

She has made some progress in the SpineCor brace but he said because of her age (almost 16), risser sign and physical maturity we would probably not be looking at a tremendous amount of correction but are shooting for stabilization of the curve. He declined to x-ray her again saying that in girls her age the changes come slowly and not over just 30 days of more time in the brace and it was not worth the x-ray exposure to take another one now. He adjusted her brace to fit a little more comfortably and measured with the scoliometer. There is about 5 degrees correction just between being in the brace and out and quite a bit of correction in her rotation. He was amazed that all of Dr.Gorries patients (he saw 4 of them) are extremely flexible and their curves are not rigid (even the two older ones with curves in the high 60's). This is apparently due to the chiropractic care and physical therapy that Anna has done since diagnosed 3 years ago. Because of this she may actually get more correction than he expects of a person her age. He also explained to us that it's not just the curve degrees that are important but where the curve is and the type of curve, apparently a single curve in the 30's might be operated on but a double curve in the 40's might be ok if it is balanced and can be stabilized. So a very informative visit. Of course, I would have liked to have an x-ray that showed 50% improvement (especially since during the last 6 weeks she's actually worn the brace almost the recommended hours per day) but we probably won't be x-raying for another couple of months and 50% correction is more than likely only my stress- induced day dream.

To all of you who have younger children and kids with lesser curves - check out Spinecor if you haven't already!

I am so glad to meet you! Thanks for all you did! You are the greatest. I hope to meet your daughter too if we go again! What a great person you are. Enjoyed lunch.

[Mom37]

we have been told by the manufacturer (mr mills) that it is essential that it is washed weekly for the spinecor to keep its elasticity, he was ok us using a tumbledryer, but i haven't dared doing that and tend to dry it over a radiator

gerbo

Celia,

Well based on this I am going to do during our few cool months. Shirley

[cloggerx3]

okkkayyy



my original curves were 25&19. so yess

* to change font color: look up a little bit where it says [font][size] and then [color] <-- click color.

CELIA VOGEL:
okay wow. wow. wow. wow. you dont wash the brace? wow. washing the straps are vital to correction. like. it just it. i dont know how to put it to make you understand. but agh. i dunno. maybe you should just try it- once. you will feel the straps tighten immediately. it makes such a difference. and also- doesnt the brace smell if you dont wash it? mine usually starts smelling if i dont wash it within a week. i mean not like ew get that girl away or anything, but like im active in dance so- i sweat. but please... please wash it just once and i promise the elastic will feel much much tighter and will help ur curves so much (go down). i dont know what else to say besides i feel very very stongly on this topic... very.

[Celia]

:
okay wow. wow. wow. wow. you dont wash the brace? wow. washing the straps are vital to correction. like. it just it. i dont know how to put it to make you understand. but agh. i dunno. maybe you should just try it- once. you will feel the straps tighten immediately. it makes such a difference. and also- doesnt the brace smell if you dont wash it? .

The elastic bands are removable from the rest of the brace and I DO WASH the brace twice a week! I don’t know how much a person can sweat that they get the elastic bands smelly with body odour – that hasn’t happened with us. Deirdre wears a Spinecor bodysuit - the bolero fits as a jacket on top of the body suit and the elastic bands wrap around her torso. I am talking about the 4 elastic bands that I’ve only washed three times. I haven’t had a problem with the elastic bands getting filthy or smelly. My daughter is only 5 years old – maybe a teenager would perspire more due to hormones? Her in brace correction is “1” degree – I don’t think we could get much better than that. I just want to be able to maintain her correction.

If you’ve been reading the posts up until now you'll see that the bands for some parents are wearing out very quickly and I think it’s due to repeated washing and drying – this is just my theory. Does everyone have the same Patient’s Manual Nowhere does it say that the elastic bands have to be washed every week. One of the passages reads…."it can tolerate a few minutes in the dryer” I interpret a few minutes to mean 2 or 3 minutes? If your maintenance system is working for you – great ! This is obviously a very contentious issue and I should have just kept my mouth shut right from the very beginning.

[Celia]

* to change font color: look up a little bit where it says [font][size] and then [color] <-- click color.

Thanks for the tip ! I LOVE that colour

[cloggerx3]

well i guess everybody has their own opinion lol
where did you get the patient manual because i don't have one.
i didn't mean to upset anybody. i haven't been on like forever and i haven't read alll the postings. i just know we have been doing it this way since i got it which was 6 months ago. my dr. gets mad at me if i don't.well i guess everybody has their own opinion lol

[cherylplinder]

I bought one strap for 30 dollars. I assume that if you need a strap, you can buy one.
I don't think the manufacturer means for replacement parts to be as expensive as the original brace. I think we are paying in part for development of the brace, originally.
I think we should check before we stress too much.
I know one parent that had several sets of straps.
Hugs to all you sweet, wonderful, concerned, excellent, conscientious parents!

As an aside to straps, Rachel had a snap braeak off last night(Sat). I tied the strap to the base with a shoestring.( the sanp that came off left a hole in the strap) It worked very well. I didn't sleep last night for worrying what I was going to do this morning. She slept unbraced last night.
On Sunday, it is difficult to find a shoe repair store!
Thought I would pass on the tip!

[MATJESNIC]

Hi Everyone,

Lauren,
I am so happy to hear about your great curve reduction so far. That is awesome. I wonder if the straps wear out more easily on the kids with the big curves. Not sure if that makes sense.

It's funny to read everyone's post regarding sweating and smelling.
Celia, of course there is a big difference between a 5-year old and a teen in that department. I also don't find the straps smelling. Our biggest concern has been those darn thigh bands. The only way I ever felt them to look and smell clean is when I threw the entire bottom into a pillowcase into the washing machine. I am too afraid to detach them from the brace.
Although they were in good working condition, we bought new ones because Nicole hated the old ones.

Gerbo,
I'm glad that Lisanna did not progress.

Cheryl,
I hope Rachel is doing well.

Best regards,

Melissa

[Celia]

where did you get the patient manual because i don't have one. i didn't mean to upset anybody.

I got it the first day we went for the fitting. Don't worry, I don't upset easily

[Celia]

It's funny to read everyone's post regarding sweating and smelling. Celia, of course there is a big difference between a 5-year old and a teen in that department. I also don't find the straps smelling.

That's what I thought It would take a lot of layers of clothing for the perspiration to seep through to the elastic bands - I probably also have a lower threshold of what constitutes "stinky" after going through serial casting with my daughter for three years ! Better stinky and straight than crooked and sweet smelling It's ironic that the doctors are telling you to wash the elastic bands every week - it defies common sense and logic.

[BlueCrystalMan]

DEFINITELY wash the brace... we're living proof of that. It had loosened up over the past three months and Nick's shoulders got crooked again... but I was clueless... so we went in for the three month adjustment Tuesday and it just hung on him... and Dr. D made the adjustments anyway, but said it was imperative that it be washed... and washing made a TREMENDOUS difference. Just do it! If it ruins the brace, it HAS to be replaced under warranty... yes, WARRANTY. The one band was so stretched out (from not washing) that Dr. D overnighted me a replacement band... and he expected me to pay the $50 for it on our visit (yes, $50... ridiculous and overpriced if you ask me, but that's a whole other thread)... anyway, when we got down there, he said he would 'write it off as defective'...

Someone asked about Nick's progress... it was mixed this visit, which really upset me... but the cause wasn't the brace per se'... it was the fact that we didn't wash it in three months and it stretched out and it stopped doing its job. Once we washed it, his shoulders straightened right out again.

[Celia]

Oh man, now I'm really confused !

[Mom37]

Sorry!

Oh man, now I'm really confused !

Me too. Well we all agree to wash and we all know what the manual says. I am sorry if I upset you Celia. I would follow the manual to be on the safe side. My daughter is 12 and has one strap that wraps around her underarm and even with the bodysuit it creeps up the sleeve and gets dirty and the thigh and crotch straps do as well. It's probably a bigger issue for us as we have teens or preteens. I never got any verbal instructions other than it can be washed and read the page in the manual.

[Celia]

Don't worry about it. We all have to follow what we think is right, there are so many variables to all of this that thinking about it actually boggles the mind. We're all passionate about a certain course of action and we want to convince others of how right we are because we all care for each other and we don’t want anyone to fail. It’s good to talk about these things…..really !!